Marshall School
S
of Bu
usiness
 GLOBAL
G
IMM
MERSION OF
FFERING 

in conju
unction with
h the
CENTER fo
or INTERNAT
TIONAL BUS
SINESS EDUC
CATION & RE
CIBER)
ESEARCH (C
COURSE GUIIDE -- SPRIING 2012
Diigital Strrategies
s for Sus
stainabiility
in Glo
obal Eme
erging M
Markets
(w
with field con
nsulting proje
ects and exp
periential lea
arning trip
to Du
ubai/Abu Dh
habi during sspring break)
k)
GSBA
A 554 -- OMAR A. EL SAWY
Place: JKP
J
202
Time: 9 am
m -12 noon forr select Saturd
rdays as noted
d in Schedule
e. Session on
n
Saturday March 3 is long
ger.
(The course
e includes 6 sessions of 3 hours eac
ch (March 3rrd longer), an
nd a field co
onsulting pro
oject and
an internatio
onal experie
ential trip in Spring Brea
ak to the Un
nited Arab E
Emirates (Ab
bu Dhabi/Du
ubai) that
includes 5 full
f
days of company
c
vis
sits/lectures//briefing. Tra
avel costs w
will be borne by students
s and for
2012 are $29
950 in additio
onal course expenditures
s. Registratio
on is limited
d to 30 studen
nts).
rd
Instructor: OMAR A. EL SAWY
https://marsh
hallapps.usc.e
edu/portal/sub
bapps/digitalm
measures/facu
ulty.jsp?surve
eyId=48761
CONTACT IN
NFORMATIO
ON
 e-mail: elsawy@mar
e
u
shall.usc.edu
 Mobile phone:
p
(best) 310-991-om
mar or 310-991-6627
 Office Lo
ocation: Brid
dge Hall 401-L
 Office Hours: After cllass or by app
pointment
p
213-74
40-4837 (dire
ect / voice ma
ail) or 213-740
0-0172 (dept.)
 Office phone:
 Dubai mobile
m
numbe
er: (for trip): 055-297-2959
0
9
COURSE DESCRIPTION
E
& OBJECTIV
VES:
This is a multidisciplinary
y cross-functtional course
e (hence the GSBA desig
gnation) thatt is suitable for MBA
students from
m all busines
ss functions and with inte
erests in anyy industry. T
The course provides a ma
anagerial
understandin
ng of business strategies for
f sustainability in a glob
bal environme
ent which is b
becoming inccreasingly
enabled by digital technolo
ogies.
A successful business strrategy for sus
stainability is different from
m and much b
broader than just “green” a
and must
consider the multiple fac
cets of the business ecos
system in wh
hich an orga
anization operates: socio
o-cultural,
economic, an
nd technolog
gical – and not
n
just the natural physsical environm
ment Thus, a successful business
strategy for sustainability
y has to worry
w
about operating prrofitably while
e protecting//restoring the
e natural
environment,, but also abo
out how action
ns affect mem
mbers of socie
ety, resonate with cultural values, and generally
conserve res
sources while
e building lon
ng-term capabilities. It is becoming inccreasingly critical for man
nagers to
GSBA 554 - Digital
D
Strateg
gies for Susta
ainability in GEMsG
El Saw
wy - Spring 20
012 Jan 3, 2012
1
understand and appreciate what business strategies for sustainability are, how to design them, and to be
sensitized to the challenges of organizational implementation.
The course brings two additional critical aspects to business strategies for sustainability: (i) an emphasis on
global emerging markets and (ii) taking advantage of the capabilities of digital technologies and the associated
novel digital business models that they enable. Paradoxically, much of the deployment of this sustainability
transformation may be occurring more quickly in some high growth emerging economies around the world,
rather than the slower growth developed economies. Furthermore, many global corporations in the developed
world are having to worry about global sustainability strategies that highlight emerging economies where there
are many growth opportunities in the next decade. The UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi) provides an exciting emerging
location that may be a harbinger of things to come in our global economy, and provides a window to a region of
the world that is relatively unexplored by global managers when compared to say BRIC economies.
The course will also specifically focus on how to take advantage of digital technologies for sustainability
strategies. In 2012, we live in a technology intensive digital world that is filled with ubiquitous high speed
communication wireless networks, real-time sensors, smart grids, social networks, and a multitude of mobile
devices. These technologies are enabling novel digital business models that enable open innovation, complex
sensing, real-time information, health and environment monitoring, customer co-creation, and much more. This
provides a multitude of new options for intelligent business strategies for sustainability The instructor’s forecast
is that in the next few years the energy and environment industries (include smart clean energy) will undergo a
radical transformation due to the use of digital technologies, and many industry boundaries will shift in
associated industries such as building and construction, real estate, tourism, transportation, and healthcare.
The object of the course is to give you the skills and mindset to be a full participant in such progressive
undertakings. The course will include an experiential learning trip to Dubai/Abu Dhabi (UAE) in the spring break.
Team consulting projects will be carried out with 5 UAE companies in both locations (which are a 1.5 hours
drive apart). The instructor travels to the UAE in the Fall to secure projects. The five project companies for
Spring 2011 were Abraaj Capital/WAMDA, Dubai Ports World, Mubadala/ATIC, Masdar, and IBM. The five
project companies for Spring 2012 are Abraaj Capital, Dubai Road & Transport Authority (RTA),
Mubadala/ATIC, Etisalat Telecom, and Cisco.
This course is partially sponsored by Marshall’s CIBER grant from the US Department of Education from 20112014 and we are grateful for the support and endorsement.
SKILLS ACQUIRED THROUGH THIS COURSE:
1) How to scope and assess a business strategy for sustainability, & understanding the drivers of sustainability
2) An understanding of digital business models and how they can enable novel sustainability strategies
3) An appreciation of high growth emerging economies in a direct experiential manner
4) A familiarity with the economic opportunities in the UAE region (Dubai/Abu Dhabi), and a new form of
globalization
5) An understanding of how to proactively transform value chain activities in a company for sustainability
6) A team consulting experience in a high growth emerging economy
7) A familiarity with the energy/environment/transportation sectors



GSBA 554 - Digital Strategies for Sustainability in GEMs- El Sawy - Spring 2012 Jan 3, 2012
2
COURSE SCHEDULE & TOPICS
Digital Strategies for Sustainability
in Global Emerging Markets
Session #
Date (2012)
Topic
Special Events
1
Sat Jan 14
Course Orientation & Introduction to
Emerging Markets, Intelligent
Sustainability, and Digital Business
Models – and their inter-connection
Explanation of Trip Procedures by
Marshall Office of Global Programs
2
Sat Jan 28
Digital Disruption in the Smart Energy
Sector: Drivers & Manifestations
(including Green IT and smart grids).
More on sustainability strategy and
business models.
Guest Speaker #1 (Southern California
Edison)
Sector Case #1 – Intelligent Energy
3
Sat Feb 11
Real-Time Business Models, KPIs,
and Dashboards in Sustainability
Initiatives: Monitoring & Measurement
Guest Speaker #2 (IBM Smart Planet
Project)
Sector Case #2 – Intelligent
Environment & Transportation
4
Sat Mar 3
Sustainability Strategies in Emerging
Markets, the Role of Digital
Technologies, and the UAE Context.
Country Orientation &
Interim Class Presentations for Teams.
Please note that this is a longer session
which will run until 2 pm.
Fri Mar 9
through Sun
Mar 18, 2012
International Field Trip to United Arab
Emirates (Dubai/Abu Dhabi). Full day
9-5 sessions at 5 companies from
Sunday through Thursday
Company visits, Presentations and
Briefings by Senior Company
Executives; Presentation by USC MBA
teams; Discussions
5
Sat Mar 31
Integrative ReCap & Lessons for the
Future
Guest Speaker #3 (TBA)
Golden Nuggets Assignment
6
Sat Apr 21
Consulting Project Presentations with
Feedback
Final Class Presentations for Teams
Fri April 27
*** Final Team Consulting Report due
before 5 pm.
International
Trip



GSBA 554 - Digital Strategies for Sustainability in GEMs- El Sawy - Spring 2012 Jan 3, 2012
3

PEDAGOGY & LEARNING METHODS

The course has 4 interrelated learning components as below. Please note that the course is front loaded with
more work in the first half of the semester until the Spring break.
1. CASES & READINGS: The 1st component is a series of sector cases and readings to help you understand
the key issues, underlying concepts, enabling technologies, and effective techniques for digital sustainability
strategies. This learning will take place through the four scheduled Saturday sessions before the trip. Individual
case-related write-ups are required. Guest speakers may also help enrich the sessions.
2. TEAM CONSULTING PROJECT: The 2nd component is working on a team consulting project that gives you
the challenge and opportunity of dealing with the details and idiosyncrasies of a company project and honing
your skills through doing and shaping. Teams will be assigned to each of the five companies. An oral class
presentation by each team is required before the field trip; another is expected at the company, as well as a final
presentation after returning from the field trip. A written report for each team is also required.
3. FIELD TRIP: The 3rd component is a field trip (during Spring Break) to the 5 companies. The field trip
provides a vibrant and immersed learning environment for bringing together the first and second components to
a new level of understanding. It involves a 5-day schedule of on-site visits to learn about and discuss digital
sustainability strategies and interview managers of the 5 selected companies. It is an intense business
experience with a grueling (but exciting) all-day schedule that requires your full attention and does not leave
time for sightseeing. There are 2 free days after the 5 days of visits. All participants are expected to be actively
engaged in this first-hand experience at all the 5 companies during the field trip.
4. DRAWING LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE: The 4th component is an integrative recap of what was learned
through the first 3 components, reflecting back, and drawing lessons for the future. One session and one
“golden nuggets” assignment is dedicated for that after returning from the field trip.
 COURSE MATERIALS & READINGS
1. Book: Werbach, Adam Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto, Harvard Business School Press,
2009. The book is available from Amazon (Kindle edition too), Harvard Press, and other bookstores.
2. Harvard Business Review Articles (Course Pack): The course pack (5 articles) can be purchased online
directly and downloaded in electronic form from Harvard Business Press -- as per the instructions provided in
the BlackBoard class folder. You can also access HBR through USC libraries or may have a subscription.
3. Other Readings: Articles from professional journals and trade press, and industry reports. These will be
made available on-line through BlackBoard class folder or distributed in class if hard copy.
4. Initial consulting project information for each of the five companies will be provided at start of semester to
each of the company teams. Each company team will then be responsible for gathering further information
pertaining to the company and the consulting project, and for maintaining liaison with the company. A guide for
field studies and consulting behavior will be posted on Blackboard.
5. Blackboard Course Folder: There will be a session preparation guide posted for every session on
Blackboard. Other than the course pack that needs to be purchased (see item 2. above), other readings will be
posted on Blackboard course folder – as will session PowerPoints, assignment instructions, administrative
information, guest speaker bios etc.. Please check it frequently ! The sections that are populated typically are
Syllabus, Assignments, and Content.
 RELATED BOOKS
If you have any deeper special interest in any of the topics we will cover, these books are commendably
intriguing and useful (not required) depending on your deeper interest. They cover new business models for
digital platforms and ecological approaches to strategic digital innovation.
Osterwalder, Alexander & Yves Pigneur Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game
Changers, and Challengers, 2009.
Chesbrough, Henry Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape, Harvard Business
School Press, 2006.
Christensen, Clayton, Scott Anthony, & Erika Roth Seeing What’s Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to
Predict Industry Change, Harvard Business School Press, 2004
GSBA 554 - Digital Strategies for Sustainability in GEMs- El Sawy - Spring 2012 Jan 3, 2012
4
 COURSE ASSIGNMENTS, GRADING, & POLICIES 
Each individual's effort and grade will be based on the following 4 components. Please note that extraordinary
effort in any of those components will be recognized. Conversely, plagiarism in written assignments will be dealt
with very severely as per USC rules.
1. TWO INDIVIDUAL CASE WRITE-UPS (20%)
Each participant is required to submitted two individual case write-ups. These are sector cases which will
analyze exemplary company strategies using digital technologies in selected sectors in
energy/environment/transportation with a sustainability focus. Instructions will be provided with each case to
guide your write-up.
2. TEAM CONSULTING PROJECT (55% -- 40% for report, 15% for presentations)
We will form project teams based on student preferences, project requirements, and what the instructor thinks
are balanced multi-skill teams. We therefore cannot guarantee that you will get your first preference. Each team
will be responsible for organizing itself and gathering further information pertaining to the company and the
consulting project. This may involve visiting the local Southern California offices of similar companies if
appropriate. There will be one team project report. Each team member will also be asked to assess the relative
contributions/efforts of all the other member of their team in order to reward excellence and avoid free riders.
The team will be required to give three presentations: an interim presentation on the week before the trip (March
3 - see course schedule), a presentation to the company, and a final presentation four weeks after the trip (April
20 - see schedule). The first two presentations are graded (a composite grade based on the first presentation
and how much progress was achieved in the second. At the time of the trip presentation, the project is typically
1/2 or 2/3 done depending on the project circumstances. The final presentation is not graded and is for
feedback related to the final report presented to the company but will influence how report is perceived.
The final report is due one week after the final presentation (April 27 - see schedule). The report is expected to
be about 40-50 VI3P pages (in addition, appendices can be attached). Apart from being reviewed and evaluated
by the instructor, it will also be sent to the company. Outstanding projects will be completed as USC Case
Studies and used as cases in future years. VI3P format is Vertical PowerPoint that is Intensive, Inviting, and
Interactive. It is a consulting report format that we named in this course which yields consulting reports that are
more likely to be read by senior executives and are more likely to engage them without being superficial. They
also take advantage of internet active links.
3. ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN CLASS SESSIONS & FIELD TRIP (15%)
The course will move through material relatively quickly. Each class will build on material from previous classes.
Thus it is very important that students attend and be prepared for each class. You are expected to actively
discuss both readings and cases and add to the learning of the class. Quality is heavily favored over quantity.
In addition to active in-class participation, you are also expected to actively engage in useful discussion and
attentive listening during the field trip. It is a great opportunity to engage with company managers.
Furthermore, to encourage cross-team fertilization and learning, a portion of your participation grade is based
on how well you provide thoughtful input to consulting teams other than your own. Optional peer evaluations will
be used for this latter component.
4. INTEGRATIVE GOLDEN NUGGETS ASSIGNMENT (10%)
There is also a written “golden nuggets” assignment that is due on Saturday March 31 after returning from the
trip. A “golden nugget” is an insight, a management practice, a rule of thumb, a lesson, or a revelation that you
have found to be particularly valuable or unique. In the context of this course the “golden nugget” would be
about digital strategies for sustainability in global emerging markets --- especially in the context of the UAE, and
that you “found” through your various experiences in this class. We would like you to reflect back on those
experiences and to draw lessons for the future. Your write-up will identify and describe 5 “golden nuggets,” and
how they have changed your understanding of digital strategies for sustainability, digital business models,
sustainability practices, or idiosyncrasies of emerging contexts like the UAE – and how you will approach these
in the future as a manager. We will integrate the individual assignments into one large electronic document that
will reflect the class contribution to the area and that you will have for your own reference.
GSBA 554 - Digital Strategies for Sustainability in GEMs- El Sawy - Spring 2012 Jan 3, 2012
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CLASS PARTICIPATION PROFESSIONALISM
Your participation grade is based on quality and a sincere effort to provoke, learn and understand, rather than
quantity. The more you engage with the class with passion, intellectual curiosity, and interest, the higher will be
your participation grade, and the more successful and exciting our learning experience will be. We are all here
to learn and share our understanding.
1- Attendance: You are expected to attend all sessions. If you cannot attend for a specific reason then please
inform the professor through e-mail that you are unable to attend, or your absence will affect your participation
grade. Treat it like a professional meeting at work: if you cannot attend, you are expected to inform the person
running the meeting as a professional courtesy. There are only 6 sessions so it is especially important to attend
all sessions.
2. Engagement: You are expected to attend and prepare for each class and to actively engage in the
discussion of readings and cases. If you don't keep up with the reading, you will not enjoy the class. Thus it is
very important that you be prepared for each class. You are expected to actively discuss both readings and
cases and add to the learning of the class, whether in the live classroom or on-line (if you see an article that is
pertinent to the class – let us all know). You are also expected to raise questions that provoke the thinking of
others. You may be randomly called upon in class to comment and answer questions, so please be prepared.
3. Laptops & Mobile Devices: It is a professional courtesy to devote your full attention in the class as you
would in a face-to-face meeting at work. Using a laptop/device for e-mail, instant messaging, twittering, etc. or
doing other assignments for other courses while in class, is deemed unprofessional and is distracting. The only
exception allowable will be to look up something related to a company we are discussing at that moment. All
laptops need to be closed when we have a guest speaker.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATION FOR DISABILITY
If you have any disability that requires special academic accommodations, please let us know ASAP. Any
student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability
Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be
obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the term as possible. DSP is located
in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213)
740-0776.
STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the
concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted
unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from
misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to
understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct
Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/
GSBA 554 - Digital Strategies for Sustainability in GEMs- El Sawy - Spring 2012 Jan 3, 2012
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TRIP ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES 
Travel is not expected to exceed $2950 in additional course expenditures. That will cover airfare, airport transfer
in UAE, ground transportation in UAE to companies, and hotels (double-room accommodation at 3-star hotel
given exorbitant hotel prices in UAE) as well as breakfasts. Lunches will be provided by companies on the five
visitation days; dinners will be your responsibility. Air travel is on direct flight from LAX to Dubai on Emirates
Airlines, and for 2012 the hotel is the Marina View Hotel in Dubai. The Marshall Office of Global Programs can
answer all your questions about the trip issues.
We immediately need your filled-in passport information form so that the Marshall Office of Global Programs can
determine any visa issues that may be a problem. The booked schedule is that we will depart on the Friday
before the Spring Break week (March 9 –see schedule) and be back on the Sunday 9 days later (March 18 see schedule below). The UAE is 12 hours ahead of LA.
 TRIP TO DUBAI & ABU DHABI  March 9- 18, 2012
Depart LAX: Emirates Airlines 9:45 am Friday March 9 ----> Arrive Dubai Saturday March 10, 1:30 pm
Company Visits in UAE: Sunday March 11- Thursday March 15, 2012
1-Sunday March 11th: Abraaj Capital (Dubai)
2-Monday March 12th: Dubai Road & Transportt Authority (RTA)
3- Tuesday March 13th: Mubadala/ATIC (Abu Dhabi)
4- Wednesday March 14th: Etisalat (Abu Dhabi)
5- Thursday March 15th: Cisco (Dubai)
Free time: Friday Mar 16 (businesses closed on Friday) & Saturday Mar 17
Depart Dubai: Sunday March 18th Emirates Airlines 8:50 am ---> Arrive LAX Sunday March 18 2:15 pm
GSBA 554 - Digital Strategies for Sustainability in GEMs- El Sawy - Spring 2012 Jan 3, 2012
7